


Will You Be My Valentine?

by Fire_Bear



Category: Hetalia: Axis Powers
Genre: Anime Harem basically, Crushes, F/M, Gift Giving, High School, Love Confessions, Love Letters, M/M, Multi, Romance, Unrequited Crush, Valentine Confessions, Valentine's Day, Valentine's Day Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-14
Updated: 2017-02-14
Packaged: 2018-09-20 03:49:46
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 13
Words: 12,375
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9474224
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Fire_Bear/pseuds/Fire_Bear
Summary: Arthur Kirkland has never enjoyed Valentine's Day. He finds the whole day pointless. Nobody's ever confessed to him, either, so he's never enjoyed it. But this Valentine's Day is different - and he has a decision to make.





	1. Almost

**Author's Note:**

> I read too many manga with love themes- Oh, okay, BL manga. And I decided I wanted to do something sort of in the same vein. This is the result.
> 
> P.S. The chapters are short and there's not much detail because I wanted to keep certain things vague and I knew the details would give it all away. So, sorry.
> 
> Also, I ran out of good presents to give... ^^"

To Arthur, there was no point to Valentine's Day.

Shops sold heart-shaped things or things in pink and red at a slighter higher price than normal – but, really, they were just the same as what they usually offered. Large signs and billboards pandered to those who still believed it was a holiday solely for love. Adverts on the TV practically screamed about it for weeks on end. Everyone at school always, _always_ , became obsessed with who would confess to who and who would ask who to the dance.

Frankly, Arthur was fed up with it.

He told his two best friends that on their journey home from school the day before it. “I mean,” he added, “no-one's ever given  _me_ a love letter.”

“Maybe that'll change this year,” Matthew suggested, keeping his eyes on the pavement as he dodged around a puddle.

“Yeah, don't be so down about it!” Alfred declared, giving Arthur a thumbs up.

“I'm not 'being down',” Arthur retorted, slightly annoyed and dismayed they were saying almost the same as all his other friends had today. “I'm just being...” He trailed off, wondering if 'realistic' was the right word.

“Cynical?” Matthew suggested.

Turning red, Arthur huffed and crossed his arms. “Oh, shut up. You know what I mean.”

“Are you not gonna give someone a Valentine's, then?” Alfred asked.

“Don't be daft,” said Arthur, glad he was already red in the face. If Alfred thought he had a crush, he wasn't sure he would be able to live through the teasing.

“Why not?” asked Matthew.

Looking between them both, Arthur found himself faced with almost identical expressions of curiosity. The two cousins were so similar he often forgot they weren't brothers. Shaking his head, he said, “Because I don't want to take part.”

“Aren't you gonna go to the dance?” Alfred quizzed him, frowning.

“Well, I won't have a date, will I?”

They stopped at the intersection they had reached by that point, Matthew and Arthur turning to Alfred who would be leaving first. As usual, they said their goodbyes and Arthur figured he would be saved from more talk of Valentine's Day. But Alfred brought them back to it as he turned to go, calling over his shoulder: “Perk up, Artie! You could get one tomorrow!”

Once he had left, Arthur sighed and turned to walk along the street, Matthew following him. “I swear,” he grumbled to Matthew, “if he gives me a Valentine's out of pity, I'll strangle him.”

Matthew grinned. “That's not getting into the spirit of the day,” he pointed out.

“Don't care,” said Arthur with a huff.

Falling into a companionable silence, they continued along. Only the cars and the birds made any sounds. Arthur liked this part of their journey home: after the chaos of the day (school and whatever Alfred forced them to do afterwards), the quiet of being with Matthew was peaceful. Even when they spoke, it would be calmer and quieter than the rest of his conversations that day and they lifted Arthur's spirits no matter what had happened earlier in the day.

Today, however, Arthur began to feel a little restless. After all their talk about Valentine's Day, he had grown curious. Were the two cousins advocating it because they were thinking of giving something to someone? And if so, who? Why hadn't they told Arthur about their crushes? Fiddling with the strap of his bag, he wondered if he should ask, chewing lightly on his lip. Finally, he could bear it no longer and looked up at Matthew. He blinked when he noticed that Matthew was watching him with a slight frown.

“Hm?” Arthur said, blinking at him.

“Are you really not going to give anyone anything?” Matthew asked him.

“No. Are you going to give someone something?”

“I might do,” Matthew admitted, glancing away. “I'm just not sure whether I should or not... They... I've heard them say the same as you. How they don't like Valentine's Day. I don't think I should do anything...”

That made Arthur feel horrible – he'd probably just inadvertently discouraged his friend from confessing to someone. For a moment, he battled with himself, working out what to say. Then, rubbing at his nose, he said, “Well. I mean... Matt, I know I said I didn't like it but... that's not to say... I wouldn't like... _you know_.”

“Huh?”

“If-If someone were to... a letter... you know.”

Matthew tilted his head, a smile playing on his lips. “If someone were to confess to you with, say, a Valentine's card, you mean?”

“Yes. That,” Arthur answered, knowing he was red in the face by now. “I wouldn't _hate_ it. I'd be... well... pleased, I suppose. Flattered. So, if you want to give someone a card tomorrow, you should, regardless of how they feel about the day in general. Everyone likes being confessed to – that's why there's romances.” Arthur's eyes widened when he saw Matthew raise an eyebrow. “Novels,” he hastened to add. “Films. Ah! You know what I mean!”

Sniggering, Matthew nodded. “I know. Thanks, Arthur. I think... I think I _will_ do something.”

“Good,” said Arthur, sighing with relief. They reached the junction for Arthur's street and they paused, both of them shifting on the balls of their feet. “Well, see you tomorrow, then.”

“Yup.” Matthew turned to go, paused and turned back. “Are you _really_ not going to give anyone anything tomorrow?” he asked, curiously.

“ _No_ ,” Arthur insisted. “I'm going to treat it as just another school day.”

“Okay. Bye, then.”

They parted ways and Arthur walked the last few yards to his house, thinking, pondering. By the time he'd reached his house, he made his decision and hurried upstairs to do his homework.


	2. Matthew

The next morning, Arthur met Matthew on his way to school, as he normally did. Seeing that Matthew was waiting for him, he lifted a hand in greeting and jogged up to him. “Good morning,” he said.

“Morning,” said Matthew. He promptly yawned, raising his hand too late to cover his mouth. “Sorry,” he mumbled, rubbing at his eyes.

“It's fine. Are you going to be able to stay awake during Maths?”

“Hope so.”

They continued their journey in silence. Arthur didn't want to harass Matthew when he was so tired so he kept his mouth shut, keeping an eye on him in case he walked into something in his exhausted state. In all honesty, Arthur wasn't well-rested either. He'd lain in bed for a good portion of the night, pondering on who exactly Matthew (and possibly Alfred and the rest of his friends) were going to ask to be their Valentine. It bothered him that he didn't know, that they hadn't confided in him. Didn't they trust him?

When they finally reached the street running alongside their school and began to walk alongside the wall housing the grounds, Arthur decided to break the sleepy silence. “Are you awake yet, Matthew?”

“Yeah,” came Matthew's voice from behind him.

Blinking, Arthur paused and turned, discovering that Matthew was a few steps behind him. His face was down-turned and Arthur could only just see him chewing on his lip. “Matt?” he said. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah,” Matthew repeated. “I just...”

“Ah,” said Arthur when his friend trailed off. “You're nervous, huh?” Stepping back towards him, Arthur placed a hand on Matthew's shoulder and squeezed. “You don't need to worry. I'm sure they'll love whatever you have to give them.”

“Right,” Matthew said, drawing out the word. Then he took a deep breath and tugged his satchel around until he could undo the straps. Arthur watched him reach inside before he paused. “Arthur,” he said, looking up at him. His eyes shone with determination and Arthur's own eyes widened in surprise, feeling himself caught, unable to look away. “This... This is for you.”

It took a moment for Arthur to realise that something was being pressed into his stomach. Startled, he caught hold of it before it could fall and Matthew quickly withdrew his hands. Looking down, Arthur realised he was holding some sort of soft toy and he blinked at it for a moment. “Um... What is this for?”

Matthew rolled his eyes and shook his head. “Why do you think? It's Valentine's Day, Arthur. It's... It's my Valentine's gift for you.”

Arthur stared at him, watching the way he shuffled in place, fiddling with a button on his blazer. He didn't look at Arthur, his cheeks red. Blinking, Arthur couldn't quite work out what this meant. “Oh,” he finally said, tentatively. “As a friend?”

“ _No_ ,” said Matthew, frowning. For a moment, he stayed still. Then he raised his gaze to look Arthur in the eyes; Arthur could see the resolve in them. “Not as a _friend_.” He took a deep breath. “Arthur... Will you be my Valentine?”

“Huh?” said Arthur, frozen in place.

Suddenly, Matthew looked away, his cheeks redder than before. “You're my best friend, Arthur. I don't... I don't want to ruin that. But, lately, I've... I realised... that I like you much more than that. I can feel it.” He placed a hand flat against his chest, over his heart, looking up at Arthur through his eyelashes. Arthur's eyes widened at that but he couldn't react more than that, still too shocked. Matthew gave him a worried, hopeful smile. “It's okay. You... You don't need to reply right now. I know you weren't expecting a confession today. I'll... I'll find you later and you can... give me your answer then.” And, with that, he turned from Arthur and hurried off, heading for the school gates.

Watching him go, Arthur finally breathed. He couldn't understand where that had come from. There had been no clues- Actually, now that Arthur thought about it, he remembered a few interactions where Matthew had reacted oddly to something he said or did.

“Oh,” he murmured to himself, dumbfounded. What was he supposed to do now?

Remembering the gift, Arthur pulled it away from his body and lifted it. He gasped when he saw what it was, a happy feeling welling within him. It was a little brown teddy bear with a red bowtie, little white hearts decorating it. Its ears and paws had red hearts embedded on them and red writing scrawled across its stomach.  _Be mine_ , it said.

Arthur stared at it and wondered how he was supposed to walk into school with his face so red.


	3. Alfred

After he had put the gift in his bag, Arthur continued on his way, feeling a little disoriented. He had never expected... Taking a deep breath, he decided that anything to do with Valentine's Day could wait until after he had gotten through the school day. After all, Matthew had declared he'd find him at the end of the day so he could worry about it just before he met up with him.

So he walked through the school gates, intent on acting as normal. However, all thoughts of 'normal' flew from his head when he saw the sight before him. Despite having had a huge head-start, Matthew was only just entering the building. That was probably because he'd stopped to talk to the last person Arthur expected to see at that time in the morning.

Alfred was bouncing on his heels at the top of the stairs, frowning a little, evidently waiting for someone with his hands behind his back.

Cautiously, Arthur headed towards him. His movement meant that Alfred spotted him and he grinned at Arthur, positively lighting up at his presence. Waving wildly and nearly taking out a first year, Alfred called out to him. “Artie!”

“Al?” said Arthur as he climbed the stairs. “What are _you_ doing here so early in the morning? Shouldn't you be snoozing your alarm right about now?”

Pouting, Alfred whined. “I'm not  _that_ bad.”

“You're  _never_ at school this early. Not unless I've dragged you here after staying at yours for the night.”

“Yeah, heh,” said Alfred sheepishly, rubbing at the back of his head. “Have I ever thanked you for that?”

“You gave me ice cream, remember?” Arthur replied, putting his hands on his hips as he came to a stop in front of his friend. “So, what's going on?”

“I just wanted to be the first to see...” Alfred trailed off, his face turning bright red. He coughed and winced, evidently annoyed with himself that he had stopped.

It took Arthur a moment but he suddenly realised what was going on. “Oh,” he said, giving Alfred a sly grin. “So  _you've_ got a Valentine's for someone?”

“Y-Yeah,” Alfred stammered, ducking his head. Considering he was a little taller than Arthur, it did nothing to hide his blush.

“Who is it, then?”

“Huh? Oh. You don't know?”

“No,” said Arthur, slowly. “You never  _told_ me, idiot. Come on, spill the beans.”

“Oh. Okay. Well...” Alfred took a deep breath and, suddenly, brought his hands forward. In them was a small bouquet of 'roses'. They looked like they were handmade out of plastic and wire. A piece of pine green ribbon bound them together, a tag hanging from it. On the little piece of cardboard were the words,  _To: Artie; From: Alfred_ .

Arthur stared at it for a moment and then up at Alfred who was looking everywhere except for at him. “What? Is... Is this some sort of...  _pity_ Valentine's?” Arthur asked in surprise – though, after what had happened with Matthew and how embarrassed Alfred was acting, he was beginning to suspect that wasn't the case even as he said it.

“What? Of course not!” Alfred exclaimed. “I can't understand why no-one's given you one before now! I mean, you're smart and cute and funny and dead sexy when you get all... all...!” Alfred made a noise of frustration and waved his hands around. Then he realised he was still holding the 'roses': he grabbed Arthur's hand and forced them into it, gently wrapping Arthur's fingers around them before letting go. Arthur made sure not to drop them, pulling them towards his chest. “I really like ya, Artie. Will you be my Valentine?”

“Er,” was all Arthur could force from his lips. He really had no idea how to respond to that. Did Alfred know about Matthew's crush on him as well? Should he tell him? Or should he just give him his answer?

“Ah, wait!” Alfred cried, holding out a hand. “Don't say anything. Mattie already told me he beat me to it. Dammit – I wanted to be the first!”

“Okay?”

“Anyways, he told me he's gonna wait till the end of the day for an answer. I will, too. We'll meet you then to talk about it, 'kay?”

“Okay?” Arthur repeated, too bewildered to be able to protest. They both wanted to have some sort of dramatic reveal at the end of the day? Things had just gotten a little more complicated...

Before he could react more than that, Alfred raised a hand and grinned. “Gotta go. I'm still super tired so I'm gonna go nap before classes start.” And, with that, he disappeared inside, practically sprinting to get away from Arthur.


	4. Lili

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Angelo = Portugal

Clutching the small bouquet, Arthur finally entered the school, wondering if the day had stopped flinging surprises at him. Just inside the door were the rows of tall lockers and he made his way to his own. He would leave his presents in there and collect them later – it would save questions from his classmates and his subsequent embarrassment. It was still early enough that the majority of students hadn't turned up yet. However, people were steadily filtering in and it wouldn't be long before his other friends turned up.

Quickly, he unlocked his locker and pulled the door open. Within it was enough room for a coat or two or umbrellas or both and a shelf at the top to store books and other small items. A few long holes in the door kept them from smelling too badly. The holes also made it easy to slip notes into it and Arthur had watched several people discovering love letters. He had never expected to receive any, no matter how much he might like to, so Arthur was startled when something fell to his feet when the door opened.

Watching what look like a sheet of paper flutter to the ground, Arthur realised that something must be attached to it as it unnaturally turned in the air. Putting the bouquet onto the shelf, Arthur reached down and picked it up, feeling a lump within the fold. He unfolded it and quickly found, attached to the paper with Sellotape, was a bookmark. It was no ordinary bookmark: it had been made with a piece of stiff card, plastic covering the real present. A pressed daisy was entwined with a pressed forget-me-not and, at the bottom of the stems, was a pressed rosebud.

Arthur stared at it for a few seconds before turning his attention to the paper. His eyes widened as he read, amazed at what was written there.

 _Dearest, Arthur._  
I apologise for not giving this to you directly. I didn't want anyone to see or interrupt us or take offence. So I hope you like my gift; it represents my feelings for you.  
I like you a lot, Arthur. Again, I apologise – I have never had the courage to tell you my feelings before now. But, since this is a day when we are often surrounded by love without having any ourselves, I felt you deserved to know.  
And I wish to ask you:  
Will you be my Valentine?  
Love, Lili.

Flabbergasted, Arthur continued to stare at it, ignoring the people around him, the conversations and giggling muted in the background. Lili was in the year below but a good friend of Arthur's. She was sweet and kind and had not made fun of his embroidering when she had discovered it, a hobby his grandmother had taught him. In fact, Lili had encouraged him whenever he felt down. And she had helped him when his grandmother had died, assisting him in making a wonderful blanket he could place in her coffin.

“What's that?” said a voice and, startled, Arthur turned to see who it was. He breathed a sigh of relief when he spotted Angelo, one of his other friends and someone he shared the most classes with. His friend grinned when he realised what Arthur was holding. “Oho!” he cried. “You got a-!”

“Shush!” Arthur hissed, smacking his arm with the letter. “Don't shout about it!”

“Who is it from, then?” Angelo asked, looking excited.

“Lili.”

“She's sweet. Are you going to answer her, then?”

“I... I don't know.”

“Why not?” Angelo asked, raising an eyebrow. He was smirking as well, in that knowing way he had. Arthur blushed.

“Well...” Arthur pointed at the roses and, after checking over his shoulder to make sure no-one was watching, he pulled the teddy bear from his bag, too.

Angelo stared at him for a moment before laughing. “Are you telling me that you've been waiting for someone to confess or whatever and now three have turned up at once? And all before the first bell?”

“ _Yes_ ! And I don't know what to do. Al and Matt are going to meet me at the end of the day for an answer. What am I going to tell Lili? And how am I supposed to do it without Vash finding out? He'll kill me!”

“Then, the first question is, just who is it that  _you_ have a crush on?” Angelo said. He grinned when Arthur blushed, his mouth opening and closing as he tried to deny it. “Ahaha, you  _do_ have a crush! Come on, let's get to class before someone else confesses to you – tell me who it is on the way.”

“Tsk. How did you...?” Arthur shook his head. Sometimes Angelo could be very perceptive – and at others, he was completely oblivious. Or chose to be. He quickly sorted out his bag and turned to follow Angelo. His comment from a moment before echoed in Arthur's head – would anyone else confess to him today?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I got the meaning of the flowers from [this site](http://thelanguageofflowers.com/).


	5. Francis

“I see,” said Angelo as they entered the noisy classroom. He grimaced as he made his way to his seat. “That sounds... problematic.”

“Right?” Arthur replied, sitting down at the desk next to him. “What am I going to do?”

“What are you going to do about what?” came a voice from Arthur's other side and, with a sigh, he turned to face another friend of his. “Is something the matter?” Francis asked, flicking the end of his ponytail off his shoulder.

“It's got nothing to do with you,” Arthur retorted. While Francis had had romance troubles in the form of love confessions and effortlessly dealt with them before, Arthur wasn't sure his advice would help _him_.

“But I could help,” Francis pointed out.

“Look, I'll deal with... _this_... later. After class. I don't need _you_ distracting me.”

“So mean!” Francis exclaimed.

“And that's a surprise?” Angelo asked, raising an eyebrow.

Francis pouted. “After all this time, you'd think he'd be a little nicer.”

Arthur snorted. “No way in hell.”

A voice cut through the chatter surrounding them and they turned to the front as the teacher arrived. “Right, right,” he called, pushing his glasses up his nose. “I know this is an exciting day for you, but if we could just concentrate on...”

* * *

During the lesson, Arthur managed to banish all thoughts of his romantic troubles. However, partway through a slide-show about plants, movement caught his eye and he glanced over to find Francis slipping a small piece of paper onto his desk. Sighing, Arthur unfolded it and read the message: _I would like to speak with you after class._

After scribbling down a _Fine_ , Arthur handed it back and went back to taking notes. He flicked the note off his table when it was returned to him, knowing it would have something inane written on it. That was confirmed with the small, over-the-top noise of mock offence that came from his right.

Finally, their Biology class ended and Arthur started to put all his things into his bag. On either side of him, both Angelo and Francis did the same, though Francis was obviously going slower than needed. Angelo cast a glance over the pair of them and, when Arthur gave him an apologetic smile and a shrug of his shoulder, he moved off to wait at the door.

When most of their fellow students had left, Francis turned to him. “You should have read the note,” he said with a strange smile.

Arthur blinked at him and tilted his head. “What are you talking about? It was just your usual drivel, wasn't it?”

“It was actually related to what I want to talk about now.”

“Oh? What is it?”

“Will you be my Valentine?”

For a moment, all Arthur did was stare at Francis, his bag slipping from his fingers to land on the floor with a thump. “What?” he breathed, eyes wide.

Francis chuckled. “I know we have our arguments and sometimes you're outright vicious, but I have fun bickering with you. I'm always happy to see you and Tuesdays are my favourite days of the week since I get to see you first thing. I like you a lot, so...” Francis placed his bag on the desk and soon pulled out a white box that was the size of a paperback book, a pink ribbon holding it closed. “This is for you.”

Carefully, cautiously, Arthur took it, too stunned to say anything. He tugged at the ribbon and let it fall onto his desk as he pulled the lid off. Instantly, he was assaulted with the sweet smell of chocolate. Then his brain caught up with his senses and he realised that he could smell something floral, too. Almost like...

“Roses?” he murmured.

“Flavoured chocolate,” Francis said by way of explanation. Arthur glanced up at him but quickly looked away; Francis was staring at him so intently and he couldn't bring himself to meet that gaze. “I know you like roses but... I suppose... Well, I don't know whether you like roses as a flavour. This... This was a bit of a gamble...”

“Francis...” Arthur murmured, staring at the box. The smell was intoxicating and so, so strong. It almost brought tears to his eyes.

“I can see you're shocked,” Francis said. “And, ah, everyone's gone now. We'd best get going...”

“I...”

A hand was suddenly cupping Arthur's cheek. Gently, Francis pulled his face up until Arthur could look Francis in the eye. “You don't need to force yourself to say anything,” Francis told him, his voice low and gentle. “Let me know in whatever way you see fit. But, please, let me know by the end of the day.” Then he was gone, his fingers brushing gently down Arthur's cheek and along his jaw until he reached Arthur's chin and he pulled away completely.

For a while, Arthur stood rooted to the spot, staring at the chocolates. He wasn't sure if he should eat them. Would eating them seem like he had accepted Francis's feelings?

Eventually, he had put the box, securely tied with the ribbon once more, into his bag and he staggered into the corridor. Angelo was leaning against the wall, attracting attention from a few giggling girls as they passed. He turned his head to look at Arthur, eyebrow raised.

“Well,” he said, surveying Arthur's face. “It looks like you're going to have a _long_ day.”


	6. Michelle

It was a few hours later when Arthur was retrieving his P.E. kit from his locker that it happened.

Again.

He closed his locker door and nearly jumped a foot in the air when he found Michelle behind it. “Holy-!” he began, almost leaping away from her. “Oh, my- Geez, Michelle! You scared me.”

“Sorry,” said Michelle with a giggle. “I was hoping I could catch you before P.E.”

“Well, you did,” Arthur noted. “Was there something you wanted to talk about?”

Not that he could think of _why_ she would want to speak to him. They got along when they talked about sports – Michelle was the sportiest girl in school, rivalled only by Natalya who only fell short in that she attended the Drama Club instead of being in as many sports clubs as possible like Michelle did. Arthur was often her partner when the Tennis Club had doubles games. They got along as well as he did with most of his friends but the Tennis Club hadn't had practice for a week due to their gym being closed for maintenance: it wasn't due to reopen for another week and Michelle and Arthur had already arranged to face off against each other the moment they could.

What was so urgent that she was willingly cutting into her time in P.E.?

“Ah, yes,” she said, squirming on the spot. Michelle rocked on her feet, her eyes glancing around at the other students filtering towards their changing rooms. Then Arthur realised that, oddly, she had her hands held behind her back: she usually stood with her hands on her hips or her arms crossed.

“Are you-?” Arthur began, reaching out to her, a little worried that something had happened. Before he could finish speaking, Michelle squeezed her eyes shut and blurted out a question.

“Will you be my Valentine?!” she exclaimed, bringing a pink, heart-shaped box from behind her back.

Arthur stared at her. Even Michelle? Was the universe playing some kind of joke on him? Why were there so many people confessing to him today? Had he done something?

Or... This could be a joke, he reasoned. Only for a moment, at least. Then he noticed Michelle's trembling hands and he gently took the box from them, convinced of her sincerity.

“I, um,” he said, trying to think of a good way to tell her that he'd been confessed to multiple times already and hadn't had a chance to answer any of them.

“It's home-made chocolate,” she told him before he could get any further. “I, um... Some of them didn't come out right but I ran out of ingredients so I... I had to put them in. But I'm hoping that... that you can... well... that my feelings are clear despite that.”

“Oh,” said Arthur, wondering how to put the poor girl at ease. He'd never seen her so nervous before.

An idea came to him and, carefully, he opened the box. Inside were several small chocolates, the top-most ones heart-shaped and perfect. Most of them, however, were mere blobs or had melded with other ones. Some of them looked as though they'd been cut in half, others as if some of the chocolate had been scraped off. Then Arthur noticed one of the mangled chocolates had a letter in the middle – a 'v', clear to see.

“They look delicious,” he told her with a smile.

“Really?!” said Michelle, finally looking at him properly, beaming at him. It made his chest ache and he wondered what he should say now.

“Michelle,” he said, intent on at least thanking her to begin with.

“Hey, Arthur!” a voice interrupted and Arthur turned to find another of his friends standing beyond Michelle. Antonio was bouncing, evidently eager to get to class, his P.E. kit in his hand. However, when Michelle jerked and turned in shock, something made him freeze. His hand tightened its grip on his bag and his smile vanished for a moment.

But Arthur still noticed it.

“I'll, uh, be there in a minute, Toni,” he told him.

“It's okay,” Michelle declared. “I'm late for class, too. I'll speak to you later, okay?” She gave Arthur a hopeful look, her smile lighting up her face. Then she turned and was gone, hurrying off to her own locker.

A few seconds passed in relative silence. Then Antonio spoke up. “I'll meet you in there,” he said, his usual bounce gone from his step as he left Arthur alone. Arthur blinked after him, wondering what was wrong. The movement of people around him, however, shook him from his thoughts and he hurried to put the chocolates away, deciding to speak to him when he caught up.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Michelle is only sporty because I was trying to figure out how/why Arthur would hang around with her and how she would fall for him. So... *shrugs*


	7. Antonio

Unfortunately, when Arthur reached the locker room, Antonio was just pulling on his t-shirt. He hurried off before Arthur could say anything and Arthur frowned after him. Usually, Antonio waited for him, chattering away about what they might be doing in the class. Shaking his head, Arthur got changed and headed for the hall.

It turned out that they were playing football – or soccer, as they were calling it for the benefit of the American students – and the teams had already been decided by the time Arthur slipped inside. Thankfully, this meant that Arthur was sitting at the side once Antonio's team had been beaten by Lovino's in their ten minute game. Which meant that he could easily scramble to his feet and sidle along to Antonio's side, plopping down beside him.

“What's wrong?” he asked Antonio who was clearly sulking, his arms wrapped around his knees.

“Wanted t'beat Lovi,” Antonio mumbled through pouting lips.

Arthur grinned at that but shook his head. “No, I meant, from before. You were acting odd.”

Antonio paused, watching the game. Then he said, “It's nothing.”

“It's obviously something,” Arthur said, poking at Antonio's arm. “Even an idiot could tell that.”

“What are you trying to say?” Antonio demanded, eyes narrowed. However, there was a smile playing on his lips and Arthur knew he was more amused than offended.

“I'm saying that you couldn't be more obvious that something's bothering you. I'm here, so tell me.”

Sighing, Antonio ran a hand through his messy curls before using the back of his wrist to wipe away some lingering sweat. “Well,” he murmured. “I... Was Michelle...?”

Trying to keep his expression neutral, Arthur nodded. “She gave me Valentine's chocolates. No-one's more surprised than me.” He paused, thinking. “Wait. Is that... Is _that_ why you're upset? Did you want her to give them to you?”

At that, Antonio laughed, slapping a hand over his mouth in an effort to keep their teacher from hearing and sending them on laps of the gym. “Ah, Arthur, you are so funny.”

“Funny? What-?”

“Kirkland!” yelled the teacher, wrenching Arthur's attention from Antonio. “Get into your team!”

“Ah, yes, sir!” Arthur replied and shot to his feet. Briefly, he turned to Antonio and wagged a finger at him. “This isn't over, Carriedo,” he warned him before hurrying off.

* * *

Arthur wasn't sure whether his team continuously winning all their mini-games for the rest of their class was a good or bad thing. On the one hand, he loved playing football and being the hero to the rest of them, having had more experience playing. And he loved winning, of course. But, on the other hand, he was wondering what Antonio had found so funny every spare second – and it was bugging him.

Finally, the class was over and they were able to go to the changing rooms. Arthur made sure to keep Antonio in his sights as they left the hall and watched him changing out of the corner of his eye. His friend was unfairly muscled, he noticed, probably due to his part-time job at one of the local restaurants. He watched Antonio searching for his school shirt for a moment before realising that he was staring; Arthur wrenched his gaze away and hurriedly pulled his t-shirt off.

“Arthur!” Antonio suddenly cried, bounding across the room. He had evidently finished getting ready and approached him with his bag slung over a shoulder. There was also something in his other hand, something pink and heart-shaped.

“Yes?” Arthur said, frowning at Antonio.

“I have something to tell you.”

“Oh?” Arthur's eyes were drawn to the Valentine's card in Antonio's hand. His heart did something funny in his chest and he had to take a breath so he could keep his expression neutral. “Is it... Is it about the card?” he asked after a beat of silence.

“Yeah!” Without further preamble, Antonio lifted it and held it out for Arthur. “It's for you. Will you be my Valentine?”

Getting a little used to the confessions, Arthur gently took the card, knowing he couldn't refuse without hurting his friend's feelings. “I, um... Thank you,” he said, looking down at it.

The card had definitely been home-made. Despite being heart-shaped, the edges were jagged, clearly cut out. The pink card was almost hidden by another piece of cut out card, this time red, slightly smaller than the first bit. Only one end was taped down and the other end flapped open. Arthur lifted it and gazed at what was under it, finding an... _interesting_... poem and their names entwined in hearts and under umbrellas.

_Roses are red_  
_Violets are blue_  
 _~~It's really true~~_  
 _I really love you._  
 _More than bread._

Frowning at the line which had been scored out and the odd rhyme at the end, Arthur opened his mouth to ask about it. However, a hand on his arm made him look up with surprise. “I'll listen to your answer later,” Antonio said, his face red. “I know you got one from Michelle, too, so you'll need to speak to her first, right?”

“Um, yes,” Arthur replied, slowly.

Antonio grinned. “I'll see you later, then,” he told him and, with a sweeping look over Arthur, he turned and hurried off.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Antonio's not good at poetry... Bread was the only thing he could think of to rhyme with 'red' when he was making the card...


	8. Kiku

Arthur was grateful when it was finally time for lunch. He doubted anyone else would confess to him with so many people in the canteen. After all, they were in high school – that sort of thing was just not done.

Angelo was with him as they entered the hall, both of them carrying their own lunches. Still thinking about the confessions from before, Arthur was too busy staring at the floor to watch where Angelo was heading. In fact, it wasn't until he heard a familiar voice calling to him, sounding almost over-the-top happy, that he jerked himself from his reverie and looked up.

“Artie!” Alfred cried, on his feet, waving wildly and looking far too giddy for just seeing his friend. Sitting beside him and cringing back from the large sweeps of his arm was his cousin. Matthew spotted Arthur looking and sent him a small smile. Francis sat beside him and across from him was Antonio. The only person at the table who hadn't confessed to him was Gilbert who nevertheless also looked quite happy that Arthur had turned up.

Or maybe Arthur was just becoming a little paranoid.

Wondering who knew about who had confessed to him, he gave them all a weak smile. “Hi. How has everyone's day been?” He and Angelo sat in the remaining seats, absently opening their boxes.

The question appealed to Alfred's chatterbox nature and he began to list everything that had happened to him since he'd seen Arthur that morning. Since Gilbert was in most of his classes, he confirmed or denied or argued about what had happened. Naturally, the rest of the table laughed at their idiocy or shared their own stories. Arthur, of course, kept his love confessions to himself, the only one who knew about them all trying to hide his grin. Just as he elbowed Angelo to make him stop, someone cleared their throat behind him.

Startled, Arthur turned in his seat, wondering who it could be. Standing there, a package in his hands, was none other than Kiku Honda. They had both attended the same school before they came here and had been friends for ages. But, with other friends and clubs, they spent less time with each other, though they tried to set aside a day for tea every few weeks. Briefly, Arthur wondered if Kiku was wanting to arrange another tea day. Then he registered the package and he tried not to look panicked despite the internal consternation.

“Oh! Kiku. Hello. Is something the matter?” Arthur asked.

“Not... Not especially,” Kiku answered. “But... I won't see you for the rest of the day and I wanted to give you something.”

Arthur relaxed a little. _'Not especially.'_ It must be something he had forgotten or, perhaps, some belated present. Though... He was sure Kiku had already given him a Christmas present... “Oh, thanks,” he said, smiling at Kiku. “What is it?”

“It's... Well. I think you should open it and see.” And Kiku handed over the parcel.

Curious, Arthur took it and unwrapped it. He thought it seemed an odd shape and he soon found out why. Within it were a set of files with anime versions of the Harry Potter characters. As well as that, he found a Slytherin scarf. He gaped at them.

“Wh-What...?”

“I was hoping that this would be a suitable Valentine's Day gift,” Kiku admitted.

“Eh?” said Arthur, completely blind-sided.

“Arthur... Will you be my Valentine? I've liked you for a-”

“Wait, wait, wait!” Arthur cried, trying to wave his hand before he remembered his precious cargo and clutched it to his chest. “Sh- Listen, this is _way_ too much, Kiku. You can't give me all this for-”

“Please, Arthur. You deserve to receive something which will make you happy. Something other than chocolates and roses.”

“Yes, but-”

“Woah, hold up,” said Alfred from behind Arthur. Startled, Arthur twisted to look at the people who had already confessed to him. Alfred was on his feet, scowling at Kiku. Beside him, Matthew looked both shocked and annoyed. Francis, meanwhile, was staring at them with wide eyes. And Antonio looked just as surprised.

Angelo just looked amused and Arthur knew he'd be of no help.

“Alfred?” said Kiku, looking alarmed.

“You can't give him a Valentine!” Alfred declared. “Me and Mattie've already done that and he's still gotta answer _us_!”

“Wait, what?” said Francis.

“But-!” Antonio began.

At that, everyone paused and stared at each other. Feeling horribly awkward, Arthur shrank into himself and hoped they wouldn't push him for answers right at this moment. Especially when, out of the corner of his eye, he spotted Michelle staring at them from a nearby table...


	9. Fight

“What're ya doing, Francis?” Alfred demanded. “You know fine well that both me and Mattie like Artie.”

“I could say the same to you – how could you do that to your own cousin?”

Alfred turned red. “We have an agreement.”

“Al...” Matthew murmured, glancing at Arthur who grimaced at him in return.

“Well, maybe you ought to have made it with me, as well.”

“And me,” Antonio piped up. “And, since we're including everyone in this 'agreement', then you should have told Kiku and Michelle as well.”

“Michelle?” asked Francis in surprise.

“Just what is going on here?” came Michelle's voice from behind Arthur. He slid further down his chair and kicked at Angelo's ankle: the jerk was shaking with suppressed laughter.

“None of your business,” said Alfred, snappily.

“I'm sorry,” Kiku interjected. “I didn't mean to cause-”

“It doesn't matter whether you did or not,” Francis said, looking rather annoyed. “The fact of the matter is that we can't _all_ confess to Arthur.”

“What?!” cried Michelle.

“It's too late for that,” Matthew pointed out.

“Hm,” said Francis, nodding. “Yes, too late. But he has yet to give us an answer...” He seemed to be about to turn to Arthur but Alfred interrupted him, drawing everyone's attention as he raised his voice.

“Hey! Don't force him to say he wants you!”

“What?” Francis asked, looking perplexed.

“You're gonna say something which'll make him all flustered and he'll agree with you or something!” Alfred declared with conviction.

“I would _not_!” Francis protested. “He is free to choose who he wishes. Not that I'm worried,” Francis added, running a thumb along his jaw as he smiled smugly at Alfred. “I doubt he would choose _you_.”

“Why not?” demanded Alfred. “I'm fun. He has the most fun with me, right, Arthur?”

Startled, Arthur struggled to straighten in his chair. “I, um,” he managed to get out before someone else interrupted him.

“You don't know that,” Antonio protested. “He has fun with all of us.”

“Besides,” Francis added, “he may have fun with you but, for something like this, he'll want to have a romance, won't you, Arthur?”

“I sup-” Arthur began.

“Or passion,” Antonio interjected.

“You don't even know if he's gay,” Michelle pointed out.

“He's bisexual,” Matthew told her.

“Oh,” she said, seemingly surprised. _Huh_ , thought Arthur, briefly, _I thought everyone knew that..._

“You didn't know that?” Kiku asked, raising an eyebrow.

“Well... Well-!”

“I can be loving and caring,” Alfred was saying in the meantime.

“Oh, yes,” said Francis, scathingly. “That's why you have insulted his appearance so often.”

“So do you!”

“That is friendly banter.”

“It's the same with us!”

“I really don't think you should be insulting him at all,” Matthew informed them, looking quite annoyed.

“Um,” Angelo murmured into Arthur's ear. “This is getting a little out of hand...”

“ _Tell_ me about it,” Arthur mumbled. “How am I supposed to stop them without hurting any of them?”

“When Arthur accepts my Valentine,” Alfred was saying, “he'll definitely like my idea for a date more than yours.” This distracted Arthur from whatever Angelo was saying and he frowned at Alfred, irritated that he had started to presume that he'd be the one Arthur would choose.

“He's not going to choose _you_ ,” Michelle said, flicking her hair over her shoulder. “ _I_ made chocolates for him. They were perfect, weren't they, Arthur?”

“I'm not-”

“Well, _I_ made him _rose-flavoured_ chocolates,” Francis declared.

Antonio wrinkled his nose. “That doesn't sound tasty. Besides, he's the type to like something simple, right?” He turned to Arthur, smiling at him hopefully.

“Oh?” said Francis, scoffing at him. “What did _you_ get him? A shop-bought card?”

“I _made_ one,” Antonio told him, turning from Arthur before he could respond.

“You're all getting rather loud,” Matthew interjected. “You need to calm down – Arthur doesn't like people being loud.”

“Yes, he is not likely to pick anyone who is forward and energetic,” Kiku told them. “Both Matthew and I have better chances.”

At this point, Arthur had had enough. If even the nicer ones were beginning to argue about him as if he wasn't there, it had definitely gotten out of control. He decided to speak up in an effort to end it. “Have I turned invisible?” he asked, pointedly.

“No way!” Alfred protested and Arthur was briefly relieved someone was listening to him. Until he continued with: “Opposites attract, right?”

“That's not always the case,” Kiku replied.

“Yeah, Al,” Matthew said. “If that always happened, me and Kiku wouldn't be confessing to him, too.”

“Hey...” said Arthur, his eyebrow twitching slightly.

“That's not the point!” Alfred protested. “He hangs out with me all the time so being loud's got nothing to do with it!”

“That's friendship,” Francis pointed out. “He doesn't want that.”

“How do you know-?” Arthur began, his hands curling into fists.

“Well, he doesn't want to- want to- want to be-be dragged into cupboards or something for a make-out session!” Alfred declared.

“He probably does,” Antonio put in.

_Right_ , thought Arthur, _that does it_. He stood from his chair, letting the legs squeal across the floor. “Listen,” he said. But that was as far as he got whilst trying to be calm; someone else interrupted him. However, he didn't notice who it was or hear what they said because, by that point, he had snapped. “FOR THE LOVE OF GOD,” he roared, “WOULD YOU ALL JUST _SHUT UP_!”

Silence descended suddenly and absolutely.

“I am _right here_!” Arthur continued to yell. “And this is more complicated than just picking someone based on a bloody Valentine's Day confession! Stop assuming things!”

He stopped then, breathing heavily, glaring at all of them. All his friends. Every one of which had confessed to him. (Apart from Angelo, of course – thankfully. At least there was one person not involved in this madness.) Each and every one of them were hoping and praying that he would accept their feelings and return them. Unless he wanted some sort of polyamorous relationship with them all, he couldn't satisfy that.

They would all hate him.

Biting his lip, he tried to control his emotions, tried to keep himself from getting upset. All his friends were staring at him in amazement. None of them made a sound. In fact, there was no sound in the canteen at all. Stilling, Arthur glanced to his side without turning his head to spot a table full of students nearby staring at them. Slowly, he realised that the entire place had stopped what they were doing and were now watching them.

“I...” Arthur started, just as Matthew opened his mouth to speak. Matthew stopped and bit his lip, waiting for Arthur to continue. Hesitantly, Arthur looked around at them all – they all looked equal parts cowed and hopeful. “I... I'm going to go eat lunch somewhere else.” With that, he grabbed his lunch, pushed his chair out of his way (careful not to hit Kiku with it) and rushed off.

As he went, he almost barrelled into Lili who was heading towards a table with her friends. She looked shocked and worried but Arthur barely spared her a glance. He murmured an apology as he went, not stopping even when she called after him.

When the door swung shut behind him, the weight on his shoulders seemed to increase.


	10. Ivan

Arthur rushed into one of the boys' bathrooms halfway between the canteen and the main entrance. Letting the door swing shut, he briefly noted that there was no-one there and promptly hurried into a cubicle and slammed the door shut. Once he'd fumbled with the bolt a few times until it finally locked, Arthur slapped the toilet lid down and collapsed onto it, letting his bag fall to the floor with a thump.

Just what was he supposed to do? The thought of losing any one of them as friends tore at his heart – not that he'd admit that to some of them. He curled up, hugging his knees to his chest as he held back his tears.

After all, it wasn't just the multiple interested parties – or suitors, as Arthur supposed you could call them. There was also his own feelings. Should he ignore them or should he stand fast against his arguing friends? Arthur realised he was being poetic and knew he was in trouble if he was trying to rationalise things that way.

A thought occurred to him as he raised one of his hands and watched it tremble. Normally, in situations where he felt cornered and unsure of how to act – such as when he decided to tell his parents he was bisexual – he would ask his friends for advice. He couldn't do so now, of course, but he squeezed his eyes shut and tried to imagine what would they say if they weren't at the heart of this situation.

_“Well, cher,”_ Francis would say,  _“You may hurt your friends but you'll only hurt yourself_ more _if you don't follow your heart.”_

And Alfred would say something like,  _“Dude, no matter what, even if they all hate you, I'll keep being your friend. So tell 'em the truth. If they find out you lied later...”_ Alfred would grimace than and shake his head.  _“It would be horrible.”_

Kiku would add,  _“But let them down gently. You do not need to be harsh about it.”_

“But I don't want to hurt  _any_ of them,” Arthur whispered to himself. “They'll all be hurt if I reject them. They won't want to talk to me...”

_“And what about Elizaveta and Roderich and Angelo,”_ Matthew would point out, chuckling a little.  _“None of them have confessed. Nor has Ludwig or Feliciano or Gilbert or Lukas or Mathias. You have other friends. You won't be alone. And I'm sure everyone that confessed will be friends with you again later once they've recovered from the rejection.”_

Arthur inhaled sharply. “ _Idiot_ ,” he mumbled to himself. He had been so panicked that he had forgotten about his other friends.

Then again, the way things were going, they might actually all confess to him before the day was out.

He almost laughed loudly when he thought that. Apparently, he wasn't as clever as he thought he was. Elizaveta and Roderich were  _maybe_ going out already – not that anybody ever knew what was going on with them. Angelo only ever flirted with girls and his support today basically announced that he had no intention of confessing to Arthur. He was sure Feliciano liked Ludwig and Gilbert had had that thing for Elizaveta when they'd first met and he suspected he still did. And Lukas and Mathias had been together for as long as he'd known them and were likely to be together forever.

Taking a deep breath, he felt his worries diminish as he exhaled. He was still not looking forward to telling any of them that he didn't want them as a romantic partner. But he could bear it. He would have to.

Having pulled himself together, he decided to actually go eat lunch before the rest of his classes. He was just unlocking the cubicle door when the door to the room swung open. Surprised, he exited and chanced a glance at whoever it was, hoping it wasn't Alfred or someone convinced they needed to cheer him up. So he was very relieved to see Ivan towering over him instead.

Giving Ivan a grateful smile, Arthur said, “Hello, Ivan. Had a good lunch?”

“Yes,” Ivan replied, moving towards the urinal.

Arthur passed him by to head to the sinks, intent on washing his itching eyes. He may not have actually cried but they were bothering him, letting him know that his body would rather he had wept. When he looked into the mirror, he realised that he was also red in the face, embarrassed by what had happened in the canteen and from his own panic. Quickly, he splashed cold water into his face, hoping Ivan hadn't noticed.

“It was very interesting,” Ivan added, still at the urinal. “I heard the argument.”

Cringing, Arthur shook the drops of water from his hair and headed to the dryer. “You did?”

“I did,” he replied.

“Hm,” said Arthur and started the dryer, ducking his head under it for a few moments. He turned his head to watch Ivan move towards the sink as well. Ivan had only started at their school the year before and Arthur had been in his first class. As far as Arthur was aware, he was the first one to speak to him in the entire school. The boy was probably the most intimidating person Arthur had ever met but his love of flowers and hidden sweet side had endeared him to Arthur. They didn't hang out much, unfortunately, but Arthur still considered him as some sort of friend.

Suitably dried, Arthur stepped away to let Ivan use it. He made his way past Ivan to grab his bag which he'd left at the sink. After slinging it over his shoulder, he paused, wondering if he should have a longer chat with Ivan or flee from any questioning.

“I have something for you,” Ivan told him, gesturing to his own bag which sat by the sink. 

“Oh?” Arthur said, his heart and stomach doing funny things. 

“Mm,” Ivan said and shook the water from his hands. Then he made his way to the dryer. Arthur shifted awkwardly, wishing he had left before Ivan had snagged his attention.

Finally, Ivan was finished and he went to his bag, unzipping a side pocket of his satchel. He rooted around for a moment before pulling out a little white package. As he handed it over, Arthur realised that it was a handkerchief, wrapped around something. Curiously, he lifted the edge and revealed what was hidden there. 

A collection of small wild flowers: mostly snowdrops but also with primroses and some flowers from the celandine family, all tied together with blades of grass woven together. Though petals had detached from them and spread across the handkerchief, they seemed to be freshly picked. In fact, he was sure they were  _very_ freshly picked. He frowned at them, wondering if Ivan had just jumped on the bandwagon.

“I know that I am a bit late,” Ivan admitted, “but I wanted to give you fresh flowers. I decided to pick them at lunchtime. So... Will you be  _my_ Valentine?”

“Wha-? Ivan...” Arthur began, unsure what to say.

“Haha.” Ivan happily grinned at him. “I know I have competition but I wanted to confess to you today. After all, I've liked you since I met you. I'll see you on the roof.” And, with no other explanation, he picked up his bag and left.

Arthur stared after him, noticing the light blush on his cheeks and his elated expression. Apparently, he had just gained another love interest...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The flowers mentioned all bloom around this time of the year in the UK. This isn't really set there, though? It's in America. Or Japan? I don't really have a set place in mind, so... =/


	11. Ludwig

_I'll see you on the roof._

Arthur didn't realise till Ivan had left that he had no idea what he was talking about. What roof? Why would either of them be there? Was it some sort of cryptic message?

As he exited the toilet, mulling over Ivan's words, he almost walked into Angelo who brightened upon seeing him. “There you are!” he said, letting out a sigh of relief. He handed Arthur the present from Kiku. “I was beginning to think I wouldn't see you till class.”

“Ah, yeah, thanks,” Arthur said, distractedly. He turned in the direction of the lockers, wanting to put the present out of sight and out of mind for the moment.

“Are you okay?” Angelo asked.

Sighing, Arthur nodded. “More or less. I just have to figure out a way to let everyone down without hurting them too much. And Ivan just added to my troubles.” He showed Angelo the handkerchief and the flowers stored within.

“Oh, that's sweet of the big guy,” Angelo said with a grin. “I wouldn't have said he would confess to you.”

“He told me he'd liked me since he'd met me.”

“Aha! The old 'this person is nice to me' infatuation, huh?”

Shrugging, Arthur dodged around a girl who was clutching a present to her chest, seemingly working herself up to giving it to someone. A little way ahead, he spotted a blushing boy fidgeting in front of a pretty girl who looked surprised. Everywhere he looked, the Valentine's Day bug had taken hold. “They all seem pretty serious to me. Which makes it all the more difficult...”

“Well, I decided to make life easier for you,” Angelo told him with a proud grin. “I told them all to meet you on the roof after school and you'll tell them who you choose then.”

Arthur froze in front of his locker. “You did  _what_ ?!” he exclaimed, spinning to stare at his friend.

Angelo blinked at him. “Well, I figured you could let them all down at the same time. At least-”

“That's  _horrible_ ! Why would you tell them that?!”  _That explained what Ivan was talking about, if he was listening in when Angelo told them._

“Hey, hey. Calm down. I was only trying to help.”

“How is this  _helping_ ?! This is not  _helping_ ! This is making everything worse!”

That made Angelo frown. “Look, it's not  _my_ fault you've let them all confess to you, one after the other, and done nothing. What else are you going to do? If you tell them one by one, it will only make it hard on you. Do you want to have to deal with all their different reactions one after another?”

“That's not-”

“-the point? Well, sorry for worrying about you. I'll go worry about someone else.” Angelo turned to go, fists clenched.

Arthur grimaced. “Wait, Ange. I'm sorry. I just... This is...” He trailed off and winced.

Watching Arthur over his shoulder, Angelo sighed. “Yeah. I get it. In that case, I'll go find us somewhere to eat lunch, okay?”

“Thanks,” said Arthur with a weak yet grateful smile.

Angelo left him alone and Arthur quickly opened his locker to stuff all his presents inside. He paused for a moment after he had offloaded them. Should he give them back when he rejected them? Or should he keep them? Would it be an insult to return them? Or would it confuse them with hope they shouldn't have? Sighing, Arthur swung his locker door shut and turned to go find Angelo.

For the second time that day, he nearly leapt into the air in surprise – Ludwig stood nearby, watching him.

“Ludwig,” Arthur breathed, pressing a hand to his heart in an effort to calm himself. “What are you doing here?”

“I came to find you,” Ludwig replied. He hefted what was in his arms higher and Arthur gaped at them. In his arms was a large, heart-shaped box, most likely chocolates. On top of it was what looked like a card in a plain, white envelope, the word _Arthur_ written in a neat, small hand directly in the middle. Between the card and the box, there appeared to be something else, a thin plastic box which could hold a CD or DVD, Arthur supposed. “These are for you,” Ludwig told him.

“They- What?” Arthur asked in confusion.

“Chocolates, a home-made card and a mixed CD. And...” Ludwig paused to clear his throat, his cheeks turning pink. “Will you be my Valentine? I really like you and have done for a while. I will await your answer.” And he pushed the pile of presents into Arthur's arms.

“W-W-W-Wait!” Arthur cried as Ludwig began to turn away. “Why would you-? I mean-”

“You are a very determined individual,” Ludwig told him, turning back to look into Arthur's eyes. “You work hard and I respect that. So... Well...” Ludwig coughed into his hand, trying to hide his deepening blush. “When I could, I, er, watched you. And it... developed. Um. I should go n-”

“Hang on,” Arthur said, trying to juggle the presents and catch hold of Ludwig's sleeve to stop him. “What about Feliciano?”

“Mm? What about him?”

“Doesn't he...?” Arthur trailed off, realising that Feliciano had likely not told Ludwig about his crush on him. Unless Arthur was completely wrong in his assumptions – he had been wrong about not receiving Valentines today, after all. “Never mind,” he said instead and latched onto something to make Ludwig forget he had mentioned anything. “What's on the CD?”

“Well, different songs.”

“Like?”

“I Can't Fight This Feeling, I Don't Wanna Miss a Thing, My Heart Will Go On-”

“Okay, all right,” said Arthur, quickly. “I get the point. Um. Thank you, I suppose.”

“Right,” said Ludwig. “I'll see you on the roof.”

“Of course...” said Arthur with a sigh, watching Ludwig march off.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The presents Ludwig gives are mentioned on the Wiki-How for [How to Ask Your Crush to be Your Valentine](http://www.wikihow.com/Ask-Your-Crush-to-Be-Your-Valentine). The songs are on [this list](https://spinditty.com/playlists/Love-Songs-from-the-Heart) \- apart from My Heart Will Go On which I just plucked from my head.


	12. Gilbert

After putting the presents away, Arthur caught up to Angelo and, after informing him of Ludwig throwing his hat into the ring, Arthur ate a hurried lunch. Thankfully, they didn't need to awkwardly apologise; they'd both already forgiven each other. Or, rather, Angelo had forgiven Arthur and Arthur didn't have the energy to continuing being angry with Angelo. They went to class as soon as Arthur was finished eating and he tried his best to push his romance troubles to the back of his mind.

It didn't really work. He still had classes with Alfred and Matthew and Francis and he kept unwillingly glancing over. Or, when they looked at him, he would duck his head and wish he could hide himself better. His notes were lacking and scribbled instead of with his usual penmanship. The last few classes were completely horrid: the anticipation of what he would be doing when the last bell rang kept him on edge.

Eventually, the bell did ring and, after a glance from Arthur, Francis and Alfred disappeared through the door first, each of them with a last longing look at him. Arthur took a breath and gathered his things, putting them all carefully into his bag, delaying his inevitable arrival at the roof. Angelo finished organising himself and stepped up beside Arthur.

“Do you want me to come with you?” he asked.

“No,” Arthur replied, shaking his head. “I think this should be kept between me and them, as much as possible.”

“Right. Well, I'll see you tomorrow, then.”

“Yes. Have a good night.”

With a little wave over his shoulder, Angelo departed, leaving Arthur to continue putting his things away. After a few moments, only Arthur and the teacher were in the room. He seemed impatient and Arthur hurriedly slung his bag over his shoulder and made his way out of the classroom. The teacher was close behind him and Arthur heard him shut and lock the door as he hurried off. In contrast, Arthur slowly made his way along the corridors and to his locker, intent on storing some of his books there and putting things he needed back into his bag. Then he went back along corridors and up stairs, letting others pass in the opposite direction as he aimed for the narrow staircase that led to the school's roof. He wondered if anyone knew where he was going, knew what he was about to do.

As he reached the staircase, there was a shout behind him and he jolted in surprise. Turning, he found Gilbert sprinting towards him, a large bouquet of red roses in one hand. Arthur froze, wondering if they were for him or if he was just jumping to conclusions. “Arthur,” Gilbert panted, skidding to a halt and bending double to pant heavily, his free hand on his knee.

“Gil? What's going on?”

“I didn't want to be late,” Gilbert explained, straightening up and taking great gulps of air.

“For what...?” asked Arthur, hesitantly.

“For the thing,” said Gilbert, gesturing upwards.

Arthur's gaze flicked to the roses and he blinked at them. “You mean...?”

“Yeah. These are for you.” Gilbert presented them to Arthur and he counted them. There were twelve in all. “I've been saving a bit of money for months to afford them and I decided to give them to you at the end of the day so they'd survive for long enough for you to go home with them. But, ha, I was beaten to it. So, will you consider me as well? To be my Valentine?”

“Gilbert...” Arthur said, weakly. “I thought you still liked Elizaveta... I mean, you've been all... mopy.”

Laughing breathlessly, Gilbert shook his head. “Nah. Remember how you comforted me when you found me in the park that day? As much as you could being so awkward, heh.”

“When you found out she was going out on a date with Roderich?” Arthur asked with a frown, ignoring the other comment.

“Yup. I... I dunno. Something about it, about _you_ being there... It made me happy. And it was kinda confusing.”

“So you being rather upset whenever you saw her or I asked about it...?”

“Was because I wasn't sure how I felt about everything. But I've been sure for a while now. Just sucks that you don't really hang out with me much. As friends, I mean. Not as, y'know. Not yet. I mean, you haven't-” Gilbert broke off and cleared his throat, much as his younger brother had. “Anyway...” He shifted the bouquet again to gain Arthur's attention and, slowly, Arthur took it. “I'll come to the roof with you, make sure you're all right...”

“I'm fine,” Arthur insisted, almost automatically. But he shifted the bouquet to a better position in his arms and followed Gilbert to the roof, wondering if he had the strength to deal with all his friends at once.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was gonna have Gilbert go overboard and get him 24 roses - but I thought that would be impractical considering how much that would cost him...


	13. Arthur

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (Man, I would've had this posted on the 14th if the end notes weren't so damned long.)

Gilbert went through the door ahead of Arthur and held it open for him. Despite how thoughtful and sweet the gesture was, it didn't give Arthur a chance to take a breath, to prepare himself for what he would find. So he had to step through the door and into the sunshine without a pause, swallowing as everyone turned to look at him.

There was Lili, standing slightly to the side and hugging herself as she waited. Nearby, Michelle stood with a hand on her hip, chewing lightly on her lip. Standing beside each other were Francis and Antonio, though Antonio didn't have his arm slung around Francis's shoulders as usual. Matthew was fiddling with his fingers, sending glances at Ivan who stood beside him, his tall, broad body casting a shadow over the smaller boy. Ludwig stood at attention, his hands clenching and unclenching. By the wall, Alfred had twisted around to look over his shoulder and he quickly spun himself fully to face Arthur. Kiku had faded to the background, watching Arthur from the gap between Michelle and Francis.

Once Arthur had stepped onto the roof properly, Gilbert let the gently swung the door over, keeping it from shutting tight so they could all get back down. Then he stepped to the side, eyeing everyone else as they took in Arthur's bouquet of roses. Silence reigned, the only sounds being the distant students leaving the building and the traffic on the road beyond. Birds chirped and flew overhead, only a few clouds marring the blue sky.

“Hi,” said Arthur, quietly.

“Arthur,” Alfred replied. He looked more serious than Arthur had ever seen him.

Nodding, Arthur looked at all of them one more time before lowering his gaze. “I'm... I'm really sorry. I don't want to hurt any of you – and I don't... You're all my friends. I don't want-”

“We understand, Arthur,” said Matthew, gently. He had stopped fidgeting when Arthur looked up at him and he smiled kindly at Arthur. “Don't worry. It might... It might take us some time but...”

“We'll always be your friends,” Francis finished for him with a fond smile at Arthur.

“It is not your fault,” Kiku told him.

“Nobody could hate you, anyway,” Gilbert piped up, grinning at Arthur when he looked over his shoulder at him.

“Still...” Arthur said. “I wish I didn't need to do this. But I can't date all of you.” He huffed a sad laugh. “There's too many of you. It would be impossible.”

“We know that, Arthur,” said Lili, smiling at him as she dropped her arms. She clasped her hands in front of her instead. “We'll accept your decision.”

“We won't get angry,” Ivan added.

“You have our word,” Ludwig confirmed.

“Though we can't promise there won't be tears,” Michelle said with a grimace.

“Right...” said Arthur. “Well. With everyone talking about Valentine's Day and constantly asking whether I was doing anything, I... changed my mind.”

“Wait,” said Alfred, eyes widening. “You brought a Valentine's gift?”

Arthur nodded and shifted the bouquet in his arms so he could pull his bag around. He could almost hear all the held breaths as he reached in with his free hand and pulled out a tub he'd borrowed from his mum. When he glanced up, he noticed that everyone's eyes were locked onto it. For a moment more, there was silence.

“It's not scones, is it?” Alfred asked, pulling a face.

“I burnt them once!” Arthur snapped. “ _One_ time. Stop going on about it!”

“Sorry!” Alfred raised his hands in surrender, taking a step back from Arthur's ferocity. It seemed that Arthur's frustrations and stress from the day had leaked into his voice. 

“Ignore him,” said Francis, impatiently. “What is it?”

“Chocolates,” Arthur answered. Ducking his head, he had to resist shuffling his feet like an embarrassed schoolgirl in films and TV. “Home-made,” he added in a mumble. 

There was a brief, surprised silence. Then Michelle said, “ _Really_ ?”

“Yeah. But, um.” Arthur looked up at them all again despite knowing that he was blushing. The group of them looked intimidating and he shuddered. For a moment, he didn't know what to do. Should he just walk up to the one these were meant for? How would the others react? Then he lit upon an idea and he said, “Could you all close your eyes?”

They looked at each other. But Lili quickly nodded and said, “Of course.” Once she had closed her eyes, clasping her hands tighter, everyone else followed suit. Arthur looked at each one and made sure their eyes were shut. He was intrigued to see that almost all of them had their eyes squeezed shut; only Ivan seemed to merely be revelling in the weather rather than anticipating receiving a gift.

Grateful that they had obeyed him, Arthur took a breath and carefully stepped forward. His footstep sounded loud in the quiet and he flinched. A breeze blew up and ruffled everyone's hair and clothes. They all looked pretty and handsome like that, Arthur thought, a sad pang shooting through him. Arthur's heart beat fast in his chest as he walked towards the one he wanted, the one he had made these for. Swallowing when he reached them, he awkwardly opened the box and gently pushed it into their chest.

Matthew opened his eyes with a gasp, dark blue eyes wide in surprise. They shone with unshed tears making them bright and far prettier than Arthur was used to. He blinked at Arthur who shyly smiled at him before jostling the box slightly. Then Matthew looked down and gasped once more as he saw the chocolates: each of them had been formed into little maple leaves, each of them as perfect as Arthur's clumsy hands could make them in one night. He still felt that they were a little wonky or misshapen but he hoped that Matthew wouldn't mind.

“Oh, Arthur,” he breathed, his voice shaking with emotion.

“Matthew,” Arthur murmured, aware that the others must have opened their eyes by now. “Will you be  _my_ Valentine?”

“Yes!” Matthew declared without hesitation and, grabbing both the box and the bouquet, he held them out of the way and flung his arms around Arthur in a tight hug. Arthur squeezed him back, releasing his held breath in relief.

“What?!” Alfred's voice broke the spell of calm that had descended on them. “ _Matthew_ ? You chose Ma-?”

“Alfred,” said Kiku, shortly, a warning in his voice.

“But...” Michelle said, her voice wobbling.

“Oh,” Lili breathed as Arthur pulled away from Matthew, realising that he still had to handle the rest of his friends.

“I'm sorry,” he told them. “But I've... I've liked...  _liked_ Matthew for...”

“You don't need to force yourself to tell them,” Matthew told him, quietly. “We should probably leave – we'll get into trouble for being up here.”

“How long?” Alfred demanded, his eyes a little wild. “How long has-? Why didn't you  _tell_ any of us?”

“I was... I was embarrassed. And, um, just...” Arthur tried not to look at anyone. “I was...”

“You were still trying to accept it,” Ivan interjected, his smile small and brittle.

“Yes. I  _am_ sorry. Please...”

“Tsk!” Alfred said nothing else and stormed for the door, trying to surreptitiously rub at his eyes as he went. Francis wordlessly followed him while a sniffling Antonio staggered across the roof, unable to see where he was going for his tears. Gilbert was quick to assist him, his face a blank mask: Arthur knew he would be hurt the most from a second rejection in a year. Ludwig was close behind his brother, perhaps knowing that. Ivan followed on and Kiku, Lili and Michelle brought up the rear, Lili offering Michelle tissues and Kiku keeping a hand on her arm. 

Eventually, only Arthur and Matthew remained on the roof. Arthur bit his lip. “I really hurt all of them,” he said, softly. 

“It's okay, Arthur,” Matthew told him. “It'll hurt them for a while but... I don't think all of them care about you as much as they think. They won't avoid you forever, I'm sure. And... And even if they do, you have me?”

Arthur smiled at him, delighted in seeing his red cheeks. “Yes, I suppose I do, my Valentine.” And he pecked Matthew gently on the cheek, the breeze ruffling their hair in reassurance.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ahahaha... A few people guessed that Arthur would go for Angelo. And, I mean, I'd loved to have had that. But I decided early on that that was too clichéd for my liking so I chose one of the pairings I hardly write for/see anything for. 
> 
> Oh, oh, also, I tried to think of what would happen after this and, well:  
> Arthur awkwardly takes home the gifts because he's not sure what to do with them. For the more expensive stuff that aren't flowers, he tries to give them back. I think that's mainly Kiku's one, though, so he just refuses to take it and tells him to keep it.
> 
> Ludwig is upset and ends up going to Feliciano for comfort. After a few months, once he's gotten over Arthur, he realises he's in love with Feli. Who, despite Arthur's suspicions, is completely oblivious and is just being friendly, heh. ^^" They get together after numerous misunderstandings (and Gilbert smacking his brother upside the head a few times).
> 
> Lovino is around, too, and he fancied Antonio for ages - so he was heartbroken when Antonio told him about his crush on Arthur. Poor thing. Still sent him an anonymous love letter, though. (Which Tonio didn't find till the next day because of the way it fell into the locker.) Lovi comforts Tonio like an expert since he knows what he's going through. Eventually, y'know, Lovi has to angrily shout his confession to Tonio months down the line before marching off just as the school goes on holiday.
> 
> I wanted to think of happy endings for everyone else but then I thought that it'd just be forcing it. Those two, though, were thought of beforehand, anyways.


End file.
